Four named winners of Staff Service Excellence Awards

June 18, 1999

KALAMAZOO -- Four WMU employees have been selected to receive
the 1999 Staff Service Excellence awards, which come with a $1,000
prize.

Those selected by the Staff Service Excellence Committee for
the award, along with the employee groups they represent are:
Halbert E. Bates, Martin Luther King Jr. Program, professional/technical/administrative;
Beverly Y. Crill, University dining services, American Federation
of State, County and Municipal Employees; Patricia M. Martin,
sociology, clerical/technical; and Ronald E. Ware, public safety,
Police Officers Association.

In addition to the cash award, less taxes, each recipient will
receive a framed certificate and have their photo displayed in
the Seibert Administration Building. A luncheon to honor Bates,
Crill, Martin and Ware will be held June 23.

The selection committee chose the four, the maximum number
named each year, from a pool of 39 individuals nominated. The
selection committee is composed of representatives from the APA,
PSSO, AFSCME Local 1668, the Police Officers Association and the
Michigan State Employees Association. The selections are made
from nominations that have the names and positions of nominees
and nominators omitted to ensure impartiality.

Halbert E. Bates is the director of the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Program, a position he has held since 1985. Bates' nominations
stressed his positive, encouraging attitude; his commitment and
loyalty to the University and the community; and his integrity
and moral authority as displayed in his leadership and volunteer
work.

As director of the MLK Program, Bates works with minority students
whose academic performance may indicate the need for individualized
educational programming, helping them achieve good academic standing,
impressive graduation rates, and often, move them on to post-baccalaureate
degrees. He helps students to become focused and define their
purpose; in doing so, he has helped increase the retention of
students-particularly minority students. His success, said a nominator,
lies in his character as a man who "enacts his beliefs within
his daily demeanor" and his service as a "father, brother,
coach, mentor, compassionate listener, and disciplinarian model
for the students in his yearly charge."

Prior to his current position, Bates was an instructor in health,
physical education and recreation and an assistant track coach.
He has also served as an Upward Bound instructor. Bates also coordinated
a grant program that established an ongoing mentoring program
between WMU students and Kalamazoo Public School students. His
volunteer work includes teaching University 101 and serving on
many University committees.

Beverly Y. Crill is cited in her nomination for her
superior service and outstanding customer relations as a dining
services employee at the Oliver Street Cafe in University Medical
and Health Sciences Center. Employed at the University since 1993,
Crill worked in several dining services locations before settling
in at the Oliver Street Cafe in 1997. Her outstanding work there
has been commended by many East Campus WMU employees as well as
those employed by Michigan State University's Kalamazoo Center
for Medical Studies. She has received many letters from these
employees thanking her for her service.

Crill is known for her "very pleasant and friendly approach
to all customers" and she is noted for working tirelessly
to provide an inviting and comfortable atmosphere for her customers.
This includes extending many personal touches that make the cafe
attractive and pleasant. Crill knows many of the cafe customers
by name, and is an outstanding mentor to her student employees,
whom she trains to provide the same level of superior customer
service. Crill's work reflects very positively on University Dining
Services as well as increased sales at the cafe.

Crill was lauded for "consistently going beyond the scope
of (her) job to make the Oliver Street Cafe a pleasant and successful
Dining Services operation."

Patricia M. Martin has worked as the administrative
secretary in sociology for all of her 30 years as a WMU employee.
Martin received 11 nominations, all of which spoke glowingly of
her performance and contributions to the department, calling them
"inordinately above and beyond all reasonable expectations."
In fact, said one person, she is so "truly indispensable
for the smooth operation" of sociology, that Lewis Walker,
chairperson of sociology, often refers to Pat as the "associate
chair" of the department.

Described as the cornerstone of the department, Martin has
worked with three chairpersons, and is noted for her adept, efficacious
handling of difficult issues involving faculty and subordinate
staff as well as graduate and undergraduate students. She is highly
regarded for influence in building community and morale in the
department. Martin's humor, intelligence, problem-solving skills,
charisma, tact, creativity, insight and leadership also were cited.
Martin is described as having a keen ability to assess character,
collegiality and aptitude. In fact, these skills have become evident
in her interviewing and recommendations for hiring faculty and
staff.

Martin also is noted for always working toward her goal of
success for the department's mission and her genuine concern for
the well-being of faculty, staff and students. One nominator says,
"I find the joy she derives from the achievements of our
students to be truly remarkable." Another example of Martin's
commitment is hosting a reception for a faculty candidate at her
home when none of the faculty were able to do so.

Ronald E. Ware is the community police officer for Public
Safety. In this position, Ware is noted for consistently promoting
a positive image of the WMU Department of Public Safety as well
as for the University at large. He has done this, in part, by
presenting more 98 programs to the University community since
spring 1998, including presentations at freshman and transfer
student orientations and University 101 lectures and training
programs to prevent violence against women and alcohol abuse and
to promote student safety.
Ware works closely with residence hall staff and building coordinators
on crime prevention measures and security. Described as being
"instrumental to the decline of malicious destruction complaints"
in Valley dormitories, Ware secured an office in the Valley and
is available to students throughout the school year to answer
questions and solve problems. In this role, he has been able to
develop a strong, respectful relationship with students.

Officer Ware's service also includes working with Upward Bound
students interested in law enforcement. He is involved with the
Statewide Campus Community Police Officers Association, is a regular
instructor for community policing officers, and has presented
programs at local schools dealing with "Kids Identification
Kits" to promote a positive image of a police officer to
grade school students.